Port Piece
by masterctarl
Summary: Gin and Sanji meet again in Port Piece, a pirate town outside of the Grand Line. But things turn sour as Gin tries to find a way to express his feelings. Warnings: Light violence, heavy language, sexual themes, yaoi
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece, or Gin, or Sanji, though I'd _love_ to. They belong to Eiichiro Oda. I do, however, own Port Piece. If you'd like to use it please notify me first and give me proper credit.

Ch. 1  
Gin's POV:

Note: This takes place before they hit the Grand Line, but after they take Robin onto their crew. Seeing as I haven't seen much of what hasn't been released in America past what I've read on Wikipedia to keep up, it probably won't be completely time-line accurate. Please don't flame me, for the only reason I'm so far behind is because I don't want to take money out of Eiichiro Oda, _Shonen Jump_, or _Funimation_'s pockets by downloading. Thank you.

We were so close to the Grand Line that I had to let out a shudder. No one blamed me, not even Don Krieg. Our memories of that place were almost unbearable. The port we were docking in hadn't changed a bit since we were last there. They called it Port Piece, because there were so many pirates looking for One Piece stopping there constantly. They ate, laughed, brawled, and got everything out of their system so they could be completely focused on the Grand Line.

We knew we'd see pirates we knew there. But we never thought we'd see the Merry Go, ship of the Straw Hat Pirates. "Well, waddaya know," one of my crewmates whistled. "The rubber kid actually made it."

I looked at Don Krieg. He had _that_ look. The same one he always had thinking of Monkey D. Luffy. The look of hate and anger. A look reserved only for the little snot-nosed punk who kicked Krieg's butt. Man, that seemed both so long ago and yet as if it were only yesterday. It was when I met…

I stopped walking, the others pushing past me on the plank leading off the ship. If Luffy was here, that meant Sanji was too. If we saw them, Krieg would test my loyalty by making me kill Sanji. I couldn't let that happen. But how could I avoid it? I couldn't just tell Don Krieg that I wanted to leave. But maybe if I found Sanji…

That was it! I had to find Sanji, get him alone, and…

I swallowed hard. I hadn't thought of that. I'd convinced myself that I was okay with my strange, sudden feelings for the young cook. But was I ready to confront him? I shook my head clear. This wasn't about that. It was about keeping him safe. I had to tell him to convince Luffy and the crew to leave. I had to do it face to face…and alone with him. Luffy was too much of a loudmouth, I couldn't talk freely in front of him. And there was no way the others would trust me. I didn't even want to even _think_ about Roronoa Zoro, that bastard swordsman.

"Gin!" Krieg's voice boomed. "Move it!"

"Yes, sir!" I called, running down.

"You know the rules!" Krieg boomed again, this time to the whole crew. "I don't care what you do with your time here, but if you're aren't on the ship at sunrise tomorrow we're leaving without you! Understood, men?!"

"Yes, sir!" we chorused.

"Dismissed!" As soon as the word left his mouth, we scattered. Most of the men when in search of the Three B's: Booze, Brawls, and Breasts. I, instead, went in search of a certain blond chef. I must have searched for a good half-hour before I heard that familiar voice.

"I don't ever want to see your sorry ass again!" I followed the voice to where a poor, bruised up pirate was scampering away from the only man in the world who ever gave a damn about me. And, oh, how beautiful he was, standing there as if nothing had happened, lighting a cigarette, and wiping blood off his cheek. I found myself almost entranced by the sight of him. His slim figure, gorgeous blond hair, and cool demeanor. The way he drew one leg up and placed his shoe on a crate, wiping off the other guy's blood from it with a handkerchief. The way he ran his hand through his hair in that 'cooler-than-thou' fashion, only to have it fall right back into place. The way he looked at me in surprise and walked…

Crap. I was so enthralled with seeing him again that I didn't even notice that he'd seen _me_ until he was five feet away. I decided to play it cool and let him react first. He stopped two feet from me and we stared each other down in the usual pirate greeting. After a few moments I almost gave up hope that he'd say anything. But, sure enough, he took the cigarette out from between those tempting lips long enough to ask, "What're _you_ doin' here?" _Ouch_.

I decided this situation called for me to be as natural as possible. "I could ask you the same question," I sneered back.

Sanji paused for a bit before breaking into that same smile that always greeted me in my dreams. That same smile he gave me when he was the only one who would feed me on the Baratie. "Nice to see you still have your lack of social ambiguity," he laughed.

Hearing his laugh was all I needed for all of the nervous tension to melt out of my body. I couldn't help but smile back, just happy that the months at sea with the Straw Hats hadn't changed him. I walked over to the crate he'd put his foot on before and sat down on it. He followed, instead leaning forward and putting his elbows on it. I saw a couple of pirates nearby give his ass an ogle, which I really didn't blame them with the way he was sticking it out, but I glared and sneered at them. Recognizing me as the commander of Krieg's pirate armada they quickly went back to whatever it was they were doing before, as if it hadn't happened.

I looked down at Sanji, who was smirking at me. "Not that I don't appreciate your trying to help," he said, "but I could have handled them. What did you think that other guy was doin' before I kicked his ass?" I didn't even realize he'd noticed those other pirates. He always had an attention to detail that made me smile. It came with being a cook, I figured.

"Maybe if you didn't tempt them, they wouldn't feel the urge," I growled. I couldn't help it. Sanji gave me this need to be honest.

I was expecting him to get mad. Offended, even. But he instead shrugged. "Not my fault every guy on this island is a dirty perv," he said, looking around. He spotted a group of girls and smiled, giving them a wave. They just rolled their eyes and went back to their conversation. He sighed a bit dejectedly. "Now, if only the ladies would give me as much attention."

I couldn't help but let out a guffaw. "Maybe if you sat next to me you'd be more handsome by comparison," I joked.

"What, are you saying I'm not handsome enough already?" he actually pouted.

"Of course not," I shrugged. I looked down at him again. He was still pouting a bit. I found myself wondering how he could hold a cigarette in his mouth and pout at the same time. "You're too good looking for any of them." I didn't know where it came from. It just sort of…came out. But I was glad I said it, because he smiled again. And, unless I was mistaken, there was a little bit of a blush there too. But it was probably just my imagination.

"Wanna go get a drink or something?" Sanji suggested.

I considered it, and then shook my head. "Nah, I don't feel like one." It was a lie, though. I did feel like a drink. But I didn't trust myself to drink with him, didn't trust myself not to do or say something wrong.

Sanji just nodded. He took a long drag from the cigarette and pulled it out, blowing smoke out into the wind. That movement alone was one of the most beautiful things I'd ever seen. He then dropped the butt, which was now a little stub, onto the ground and stomped it out. He pulled out the pack from his jacket pocket and opened it. He then frowned, holding it upside down as if that would make a cigarette magically fall out of it. "Shit…" he muttered. He turned to me. "Got a smoke?" he asked.

I shook my head. I never took up the habit, though the look on his face when he found out I didn't have one made me wish I did. "Come on," I said, jumping off the crate. He looked at me, puzzled. "I'll buy you another pack."

Sanji's face lit up. It made the Berries I was spending for him worth it. I would buy every pack of cigarette in the world if it made him happy. But for now, I suppose just a couple of packs from the locals here would do. "You really don't have to, I can afford my own cigarettes," he huffed, despite the smile still present on his face. It was part of his good nature; he didn't want me to spend my money if I didn't need to, especially if it was on him.

"I know," I simply answered. I wanted to add 'but I want to', but I didn't. The way his smile brightened at my own rare act of kindness made me afraid to lose that special bond I felt I had with him. It was what kept me from grabbing him and kissing him, the thing I'd been urged to do ever since I met back up with him.

It wasn't long before we arrived at a small store. The guy behind the counter was huge and burly, and didn't even bother to hide the large rifle next to him. Being a pirate port, the crime rate was through the roof, so shop owners had to do everything they could to "discourage" shoplifting in their stores. Even if it meant spending money on firearms, and hiring muscle to work the register that probably wasn't even smart enough to count as high as the numbers on it.

"Pick your favorite," I told Sanji, gesturing to the selection of cigarettes. It was a wide selection, the shopkeeper probably threatened enough times for not carrying pirates' favorite brands.

Sanji looked at them all, looking like a kid in a candy store. I had to smile. He picked up a couple of packs of the more expensive kind, looking at me to see if it was alright. I nodded and he threw them on the counter. The muscle man at the register was actually pretty good at working the thing, surprisingly. He had us rung up and out of there in what I thought was record time.

No sooner had we stepped out onto the street did Sanji practically rip open one of the packs. I laughed. The last fifteen minutes without a smoke must have been killing him. He took a cigarette between his lips and pulled out his lighter. I was a bit taken aback. Everything Sanji owned seemed so elegant, but the lighter was just a cheap plastic one that you could find in most convenience stores. On top of that, it was the most hideous color of green you could find.

Sanji looked at me, and I must have been giving it a disgusted look, because he quickly lit the cigarette and pocketed the lighter again. After taking a drag and sighing in relief from the feel of the cigarette smoke invading his lungs, he looked at me again. He then looked away, as if embarrassed. "I lost my old lighter in a battle…" he muttered. "I had just beaten this group of navy men who boarded our ship and I was taking the opportunity to light up a new cigarette. Zoro sent one of the guys flying toward me, and I didn't have time to react. The guy hit me and my lighter flew into the water. I was so angry I threw the navy guy in after it." He gave me this bitter, angry look. "I swear that moss-head, crap-swordsman did that on purpose. He's had it in for me ever since I joined this crew."

I felt two different emotions well up at the same time. I felt anger and relief. I was angry because that stupid swordsman made Sanji upset, and I couldn't forgive that. But I was also relieved that all of my worries, my insecurities about Sanji and Zoro's relationship, were all fruitless. Zoro _hated_ Sanji, and Sanji hated him back.

"But anyway," Sanji continued, "I told moss-head that it was his fault that I lost it so he had to buy me a new one. We fought about it for a while, but Luffy finally convinced him that it was the right thing to do. Should have figured he'd go for the stupid, cheap ones." He took the lighter out again, and gave it the same disgusted look I gave it before. "I miss my old lighter. It was black, metal, and had these gold patterns across the top. It was one of the most beautiful things I'd ever seen." He sighed dejectedly and pocketed the new lighter quickly before anyone else could see it.

"Come on," I said, feeling bad for him. I figured that a walk would do him some good. As we walked down the street, we fell into a comfortable silence. This made me happy. The fact that we _could_ have a comfortable silence was a sign that we really connected. I noticed a few pirates staring at him. I didn't blame them. He was a beautiful sight. And honestly, after months at sea without a woman onboard the ship, like in Krieg's crew, a pirate doesn't really care about gender as long as they're good looking.

I didn't really mind them looking, as he said before, he could take care of himself. He didn't need me to protect him. That is, I didn't mind until we passed by a group of them next to a bar. That was what alerted me first. They were absolutely plastered. Plastered pirates are _not_ a good thing.

"Hey, blondie!" one of them called as we walked away from them. Sanji rolled his eyes, obviously getting too used to this, and kept walking without looking back. Normally this would be enough for someone on this island, which had plenty of nice tail to chase, to give up. Obviously this particular group didn't get that message.

"Hey, we're talkin' to you!" another one slurred out, staggering after us.

I knew not to look back at them. Confirming their existence would just encourage them. Luckily Sanji knew this too.

"Hey!" the others were now following, too. "Hey, come on, blondie!" "We won't bite!" "Why don't you give us a chance?" The persistence of this group was annoying. Other pirates walking by didn't even look at us or the drunken mass following us. This wasn't an unusual sight in Port Piece.

"I'm not interested!" Sanji said, not looking back. He'd moved onto the second step. If ignoring them doesn't give them the hint, then verbalize your rejection.

The drunken mass, as I came to like calling them, didn't seem discouraged by this. In fact, the fact that he talked to them seemed to give them the idea that he wanted to pay attention to them. "Come on, blondie!" one of them repeated, grabbing Sanji by the shoulder.

Before even Sanji reacted, I did. I grabbed the guy's wrist and twisted and squeezed so hard I was sure I could feel bones cracking. I turned around and gave them the best demon glare I could muster. The guy whose wrist I had howled in pain. "He said he's not interested!" I growled, twisting harder.

"I'm sorry!" the pirate said desperately. I felt satisfied by it, so I let go. He quickly cradled his arm, which had a huge purple bruise where I had held it.

I looked at Sanji. He was staring back at me. I hoped I hadn't offended him by stepping in. One of the other drunken pirates spoke up. "Hey, we just wanted to have some fun," he insisted, as if it made their harassment okay.

"Yeah, well I just want to kick all your asses, and you don't see me doin' that!" Sanji snapped back, finally turning to face them. The pirates were taken aback. Sanji's beautiful face and lean, graceful body, combined with the expensive looking suits he always wore, tended to cause his true nature as a fighting cook to become undermined.

"Let's go, he's not worth it," one of the others muttered, pulling the last one away. The others followed him, the one I had grabbed moving a little more quickly than his buddies.

There was a bit of silence between us as we waited for them to reclaim their place outside of the bar. Sanji finally spoke. "Thanks…" he muttered. It was a bit bitter though. It was what I was afraid of. I'd offended him.

I wanted to apologize for it, but what was there to apologize about? I was just helping him. So I kept my mouth shut. This was obviously the wrong move, because he gave up that half-expectant look after a moment and started walking a little faster than before. This silence, the one that followed that, wasn't comfortable. "Sanji, wait!" I called after him, following him. I reached out for his shoulder.

"What?" he snapped. I pulled my hand back as if he'd just bitten me. He might as well have for all the venom that was in that simple word.

"Nevermind," I replied, adding my own hint of bitterness. I couldn't help it. He was mad at me for the stupidest reason.

We walked in silence for a while longer, this time tension building up with every step. I looked at store windows, just looking for ideas. Then, something caught my eye. "Wait here!" I said, running into the store excitedly. I made my purchase and went back out. Sanji waited for me with his foot tapping impatiently.

"I'm not a girl," he huffed, seeing the little box I was holding. I rolled my eyes. I couldn't help it. He was acting ridiculous. "I don't need you to buy me cigarettes, I don't need you to protect me…" he looked disgustedly at the box, "…and I don't need you to buy me jewelry."

I sighed in frustration. "I wasn't _protecting_ you, I was helping you."

"Well, I didn't need your _help_, either," he insisted. "I could have handled it myself. I laughed it off when you drove those pirates away back when we saw each other because I hadn't seen you in a while. But if this is going to become a habit for you then you can keep your cigarettes and your jewelry."

I had to try hard to keep my patience. I hated for him to be mad at me, and I didn't want to be mad back. "Fine then," I growled. "I'm _sorry_ I was trying to be a good friend!" I finally just let go of my patience and shoved the little box into his hands. I turned around and stormed off. It wasn't until I lost him in the crowd that I realized that I'd forgotten why I was looking for him in the first place. I'd forgotten to tell him that Don Krieg was out for blood, and he had to get out of there before it was too late.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece, or Gin, or Sanji, though I'd _love_ to. They belong to Eiichiro Oda. I do, however, own Port Piece. If you'd like to use it please notify me first and give me proper credit.

Chapter 2  
Sanji:

I stood there fuming for a while, staring disgustedly at the little box in my hands. I couldn't help it, though I was starting to regret it. We hadn't seen each other for months, and he was only trying to be nice. But maybe that was what made me so mad. He tried to be nice to me as if I were a woman. Defending me when I could have handled myself, buying me cigarettes when I could have bought them, and on top of all that buying me _jewelry_. I scoffed and stuffed the box into my pocket.

"Hey, blondie." I sighed. The drunkards from down the street were back.

"What do I have to do to get rid of you?" I asked, not turning around to look at them.

"Alls you hafta do is let us haves a little fun," one replied. It was clear from his lack to grammatical skill that he had a few more than too many. "And now that you don't gots your boyfriend to protects ya…"

"First off," I snapped, turning to face them. They were _really_ getting on my nerves at a _really_ bad time. "He was _not_ my boyfriend. And secondly I don't need anyone to 'protects' me."

"Oh, tough guy, huh?" one of the others said, pulling his sword. I smirked. Finally someone who wanted to treat me like a man. "You can't take us all at once."

I rolled my eyes. Six drunken pirates? What did they take me for? I waved my hand in a 'bring it on' motion.

The fight lasted all of about six seconds. It would have been less, but I made the mistake of kicking a guy who'd drank more than his fill in the stomach. I then needed to kick him again in the back of the head for hurling on my shoe.

I left them lying there for other pirates to swipe their weapons, money, and whatever else they carried on them. I found a water station and quickly cleaned off my shoe, wrinkling my nose at the smell. Water stations were small buildings placed around the port where a pirate could rinse off after a fight, or after the occasional back-alley romp. They were a smart investment, because they were always next to bars for those who needed a drink after, or clothes shops for those who needed to change.

As I walked away I stuck my hands in my pockets. I then stopped. Something didn't feel right. Something was missing. I felt around in the pockets. Lighter, cigarettes; check and check. That was essentially all I usually carried in those pockets, keeping my money in my breast pocket where it wasn't easily accessible. Nami did the same thing, except she kept her money actually _in_ her breasts. She said that way if someone reached for her money she could kick their ass for stealing _and_ sexual harassment.

I then realized what was missing. Where was the little black box Gin gave me? I frantically searched all of my pockets, and then ran back to the scene of the beating. The vultures, pirates who waited until after a fight to pick the unconscious clean, were already at work. They didn't fight over who got what, it was simply first come first serve. You take what you can grab before the others.

I frantically looked all over on the ground, over shoulders, in hands, everywhere I could think of. I sighed in relief, finding it lying next to one of the unconscious drunks. It probably fell out of my pocket when I kicked him. I reached for it, but another hand shot out and snatched it. I looked up to see the vulture retreating down the street. I took off after him like a bullet. My legs are powerful, and I'm a fast runner, but somehow this guy was just a little bit faster. He dodged between people, turned corners, doubled back, anything to try and lose me. He didn't seem to get that the bright orange bandana he wore was a dead giveaway.

Suddenly, as we were running down a crowded street, I spotted Nami coming out of a market carrying some grocery bags. "Stop that vulture!" I yelled, hoping it'd get her attention. Luck was on my side. The vulture couldn't figure out who I was talking to, so he didn't notice Nami stick her foot out as he was passing by.

"Oopsie!" Nami said sweetly as the pirate tumbled to the ground. "Clumsy me!"

I ran up and caught my breath, breathing hard. "Thanks, Nami," I said, bending next to the guy. I plucked the box out of his hand and sighed in relief. I said I didn't want whatever was in it, but I wasn't going to just let someone else take it.

"That's it?" Nami said in disbelief. "You chased that guy around the island and I scuffed my new shoes for _that_?" I just nodded. "I thought he stole your money or something! Yeesh!" Nami then shrugged. "Oh, well. So what's in it?"

"I don't know," I admitted.

"Well, then why don't you open it? You should make sure no one took whatever's in it anyway."

I hadn't thought of that. I didn't really want to know, but she was right. So, with Nami gazing over my shoulder, I opened the little box Gin gave me.

"Oh, wow…" Nami breathed out. I had to agree. "Is that…is that real gold?"

I reached into the box and pulled out a lighter. It looked like my old one, black with gold patterns. But instead of just gold on top of a black metal lighter, it was solid gold and carefully painted with a layer of black.

"Sanji, look at the back!" Nami said excitedly. I turned it around and saw my name in gold, elaborate letters carefully scratched out of the black paint. It was no wonder why it took time for Gin to buy this.

"Oh, wow…" it was my turn to say.

Nami smiled that cute, knowing smile she did whenever she knew something she wasn't going to tell you. "Whoever got that for you must really like you," she said gently.

I nodded. I'd known it for a long time, how Gin felt about me. I didn't realize it until Nami told me though. _This_ was Gin's way of telling me how he felt. I wanted to wait until he was comfortable enough to tell me himself, but I was so preoccupied with my pride that I missed when he _was_ telling me.

"Sanji?" Nami put a hand on my arm. I snapped back to reality to find something wet sparkling on the "j" in my name on the lighter. I reached up to my cheek and my hand came back wet. I hadn't even realized I was crying. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," I lied. "I'm fine. I…I have to go." Before she could reply I took off, clutching the lighter tight. I had to find Gin.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: See previous chapters, lol. Really, nothing's changed, and I still don't own them.

Chapter 3  
Gin:

I kicked a rock on the ground into a nearby wall in frustration. I was angry at Sanji for being angry at me, and I was angry at myself for making Sanji angry at me. I was standing in front of a bar, debating going in and joining some men from my crew. The rock made up my mind for me. It ricocheted off the wall and hit a guy entering the bar square in the forehead.

"Hey!" the guy jumped and turned toward me. I recognized him as Kirk, one of the gunners. "I oughtta-- Commander!" he yelped, recognizing me. "What're ya doin' out here?" he asked in that cut-and-paste way he liked to talk. He looked up at the sky. The sun was getting low, close to sunset. "Why doncha come in? Th' boys an' me wouldn' mind yer company."

I wanted to say no, but I figured it'd raise questions. "Sure," I said instead, pushing past him into the bar. A great pirate once said, 'Manners on wenches will get you bedded, manners on pirates will get you shot'. I had no immediate need for either.

"Commander!" I heard several men chorus. I headed over to that table and grabbed a chair one of my crewmates was in. With one quick jerk of the arm I tipped the chair over and the man in it tumbled to the floor. I sat down in that chair as the rest of the men laughed.

"What was that for?" the pirate I dislodged demanded, standing up.

"Because I felt like it!" I snapped back, raising a hand as if to backhand him. He flinched away and the men laughed again. This was how I gained respect, by making sure they understood who the commander was.

"Bar wench!" Kirk sat next to me and pounded a fist on the table. "Drinks for me an' th' commander!"

I rolled my eyes. I knew he was just using my rank to get special service. I'd usually give him a swift kick out of the bar, but I wasn't in the mood for fun. At the sound of my rank, though, a bar wench with possibly the most overly large assets I'd ever seen all but skipped over. She plopped Kirk's drink unceremoniously in front of him, sloshing some in his lap. The crew once again started laughing, this time joined by the man I'd kicked out of his seat.

"Here you go, _commander_…" she said in what I assumed she thought was a seductive tone. She bent over to put my drink down, all but pushing her breasts into my face. I rolled my eyes again, though this time they were obscured by her overly large bosom. "If you need _anything_ at all," she continued, oblivious to my annoyance, "I'll be right over _there_…" She pointed at the door leading upstairs. She didn't beat around the bush. She essentially just said, "I'm going to wait until you _really _want me and then charge you ungodly amounts of money to have mediocre sex with me, but I'm going to make you want it by waving my bust in your face," only more tactfully and ladylike.

"Sure…" I muttered into my booze, taking a large gulp. This night wasn't getting any better. She seemed satisfied with the response though, and so took her post next to the door. She leaned on it in a further self-proclaimed sexy way.

"Maybe I should demand that she cleans this spill with her tongue," Kirk says, indicating his crotch. I fought the urge to flap my forehead. Obviously a few months at sea lowers standards.

"Please, this one has the commander's name written all over her," one of the men retorted. I resisted the urge to punch him. I could have gotten through the night without having to take up her offer if he hadn't said anything. But now the expectation was out there. If I passed it up they'd get suspicious.

"That's right," I announced, finishing off my drink and standing up. "If anyone needs me," I said, looping an arm around the bar wench's waist, "Tough shit. I'm busy."

I heard the crew cheer as I went up the stairs with the wench. She opened one of the rooms, pulling me in and locking the door. I looked at the window. Almost sunset. "How do you want it?" she asked, starting to remove her dress.

"Wait," I stopped her. "What's your name?"

"Sonya," she answered, confused. "What, are you one of those that likes it with clothes on?"

"That's not it," I sighed. "Here's 200B. Stay up here until after sunset. Then go downstairs and tell the men it was great and I need to be alone. Got it?"

"Oh," Sonya said flatly. "You're a fag."

"Yeah, and I'm the fag that's going to kill you if you don't do exactly as I said," I growled, opening the window. I didn't wait for a response, instead jumping out the window and landing in a crouch in the alley.

I stood up and started leaving the alley when something caught my eye. The setting sun gleamed off of a head of blond hair. Not just any blond hair – Sanji's. And he was just about to walk right into the bar my men were in.

I acted quickly. "Wha-?" I cut off his protest, grabbing him from behind, covering his mouth, and pulling him into the alley. Nobody stopped or helped him. This wasn't an uncommon sight in Port Piece. I cringed as I felt a well trained heel connect with my shin. As soon as we were well into the alley I stopped.

"Sanji!" I hissed. His body froze. "It's me…" I continued, hoping he got the message.

His body relaxed and I let him go. He turned quickly. "Gin!" he said, sounding happy and relieved. "I've been looking all over for you!"

"You have?" I asked, surprised.

"Yeah, I never had a chance to say…" he seemed to hesitate for a moment. He then did something that completely caught me off guard. He kissed me. "Thank you…" he finally muttered. He held up the lighter I bought him. He then laughed.

"What?" I asked him.

"Your face is bright red," he chuckled. I couldn't help it when I saw how happy he was. I kissed him back. "I'm sorry," he said when we broke apart. "For…for earlier. It was stupid of me to get mad."

"I'm sorry too," I replied. "I just started thinking of how close I came to being the one to kill you before, and--" I was cut off as he kissed me again. I deepened it this time. And for a time, for that moment, I was actually happy. I forgot everything. There was no Port Piece, no pirates, and no crew. There was no battle, no argument, nothing. There was just him and me.

I finally broke it and looked at him. He truly was the most beautiful creature in the world. Gleaming blond hair, pink kissable lips, eyes that could pierce your heart and make you want to give him the world. And he was _mine_. I wasn't going to let anyone hurt him. Not the pirates here on the island, not Roronoa Zoro, not even Don--

I suddenly stopped everything, even breathing. I'd forgotten all about Don Krieg. If he'd seen Luffy yet, the explosions alone would have rocked the whole island. Since there weren't any tremors I knew it hadn't happened. But I couldn't take the chance it might.

"Gin?" Sanji inquired, looking worried. "Are…you okay?" He leaned forward, face inches from mine. I wanted nothing more to lean forward, close that gap, and…

No. This was important. So I grabbed him by the shoulders and held him back. "Sanji," I said gravely, looking in his eyes. "You have to get out of here."

"What?!" Sanji pulled away, taken aback. He looked hurt and confused. "Gin, I…"

"Just listen!" I took him in my arms. I didn't want him to think I was rejecting him. "Don Krieg is out for blood! If he sees any of your crewmates, _especially_ Monkey D. Luffy, then there's going to be major trouble!"

Sanji, face buried in my shoulder, reached around and clutched his arms behind my back, holding tight. "I don't care," his muffled voice came through. "I don't care what I have to face, as long as I can be with--"

"Don't say it!" I snapped. I felt him go ridged at the sound of my voice. So I repeated, this time gently, "Please, don't say it. This is hard enough for me." I lay my head on top of his hair and sighed. I wanted to stay like this forever. "I'm sorry, but I'm not ready to face my demon yet. I can't betray Krieg more than I already have."

"You don't have to fight your demon," Sanji said, leaning back and taking my lips into his again. "I've already accepted him. You need to, too."

I was puzzled, unsure what he meant. "Sanji, please," I said softly, kissing him above the spiral of his brow. "Please, just take your crew and go…"

Sanji sighed and looked down, letting me go. He then reached into his pocket and pulled out the cigarettes and the lighter I gave him. He put one between his lips and went to light it. I stopped him. "What?" Sanji looked at me in annoyance.

I held out a hand. "Smoke," I simply said.

He looked at me puzzled, but handed me a cigarette. I couldn't believe I was doing this myself. I took the cigarette between my lips and leaned forward so the tips of them both were touching. He smirked and lit them both at the same time. We both breathed in, and I resisted the urge to cough. If Sanji could take this, so could I.

We blew out the smoke at the same time, but even his smoke was better looking than mine. "If you're going to start," Sanji smiled, holding something out to me, "You'll need this." It was the ugly green lighter Zoro gave him. "Oh, wait," he quickly took out a pen and wrote something on the side of it. "When I took the lighter, I saw that he wrote my name in the same fancy lettering I had engraved on his. I chuckled.

"Goodbye, Sanji," I muttered, kissing him. "By beautiful pirate angel…"

He kissed me back and I could feel his sadness. "Goodbye, demon man," he replied, smiling.

"I'll see you on the Grand Line," I promised.

"You better," he winked. He then hurried away before we could delay the goodbye any longer.

I smiled and looked at the cigarette. I was glad I remembered the brand, because the taste reminded me of him. It was the taste of his kisses.


	4. Epilogue

Disclaimer: I still don't own it

Disclaimer: I still don't own it. Eiichiro Oda does. I own Port Piece, though, so at least contact me if you want to use it.

Epilogue

_Sanji_:

It took some searching to find the rest of the Straw Hats. Robin and Chopper were checking out a bookstore. It had a wide selection of books stolen by pirates off of other ships then sold to the clerk there. Luffy, Zoro, and Usopp had been eating at one of the bars, though Zoro did more drinking. As soon as I encountered them I quickly explained the situation. Of course, I left out exactly _who_ told me Don Krieg was there and the circumstances of my discovery of this fact. Zoro, otherwise, would never let me live it down. Nami was already back on the ship, putting supplies away, when we got there.

I helped her finish it up, since it was the gentleman thing to do. While we worked in the supply room, we started talking.

"So, did you work things out with Gin?" Nami asked casually.

I looked up, startled. "How did you-?"

"Women have their ways," she smiled innocently. I couldn't help but smile back.

"Nami," I chuckled, "You're something else."

"I know," she simply replied. "So?"

"I guess," I finally answered the initial question. "We're at an understanding. As long as I know how he feels…" I pulled out the gold lighter and smiled, "…I guess I'm okay."

"Come on, guys!" Luffy called from on deck. We came back out to find everyone there. "This is it," Luffy grinned. "There's no turning back once we leave the port. It's straight on to the Grand Line!" He sounded so excited we all had to smile. "Are we ready?!"

"Yeah!" we all shouted our reply, getting psyched up. It was Luffy's greatest skill outside of battle: Passing his excitement to others.

"The let's go!" Luffy whooped. In no time, we were heading away from Port Piece.

I leaned on the rail of the stern, staring at the island, which was getting smaller in the starlit surroundings.

"Well," Nami said lightly, leaning next to me. "There goes Gin."

"No," I smiled, lighting a cigarette. I took a drag and blew it out, looking away from the port and toward the direction we were heading. Toward the Grand Line. "Gin, here I come."

_Gin:_

I hid out until just before sunrise. I couldn't help but smile in relief, seeing the Merry Go had left without incident. "Commander!" I sighed. It was Kirk. "Man, nice job with the…" he squeezed the air in front of his chest. I knew he was referring to Sonya, the busty bar wench. I grunted in response, hoping he'd leave it at that. "So, did you have a _good_ night?" he asked, emphasizing the word 'good'.

I was about to tell him to fuck off, but a thought occurred. I didn't have to lie. He never asked if it was with Sonya. So I replied truthfully, "I had a _great_ night." I meant it in a completely different way than he thought, though.

"Oh, and thinks," he added.

"For what?"

"For, you know, making me look good by sending her back for me," he replied.

I raised an eyebrow. I guessed the wench needed some kind of satisfaction and he was the next best thing. "Sure thing," I muttered.

I boarded the ship where Don Krieg was waiting. "There you are," he said as I walked up. "I thought we'd be leaving without you." He didn't sound all that sad at the concept, but I didn't mind. "You didn't see the Straw Hats last night?"

"No sir," it was mostly true. I saw it as a verbal loophole.

"No contact with the cook whatsoever?" Krieg asked suspiciously.

I kept a poker face. If he saw us together I already would have known. "No, sir."

"Nah," Kirk cut in. "He spent the night with a pair of these." He did the air-chest squeeze again.

Krieg didn't seem impressed, but accepted the answer and left. I didn't blame him for not being impressed. Don Krieg's power and rank attracted women like flies.

I leaned on the rail while everyone scrambled to get ready to shove off. I pulled out the pack of cigarettes I bought and lit up. I smiled. It still tasted like Sanji.

"Hey commander," Kirk pierced my thoughts and I clenched my fist. "I didn't know you smoked."

"Just started," I replied. "Been meaning to for a while now."

"Mind if I…?" he reached for the pack. I growled and grabbed his hand, flipping him overboard. I suddenly felt much better.

"Go get your own!" I yelled after him. Only I was allowed to know what Sanji tasted like. And these would have to do until the Grand Line.

_**Fin**_


End file.
